Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--As StatePride continues to gain momentum, the four-year fundraising initiative is making possible spendable income for faculty awards and student scholarships at Mississippi State University.
Mississippi State will award $1 million to 400 members of its faculty base in one-time $2,500 financial awards. The awards recognize outstanding performance in keeping with the university's tri-fold mission of teaching, research and service. Funds immediately available from StatePride also are providing $1 million in student scholarships for the current fall semester.
"The faculty are the heart of Mississippi State and we need the best professors to mentor their colleagues and guide our students in order for Mississippi State to meet the needs of a growing student population," said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.
Keenum continued, "Mississippi State's record enrollment of over 19,600 students means we must continue to gain ground in these crucial areas and retain our distinguished faculty by recognition of their accomplishments and support of their teaching and research endeavors in a time without competitive state salaries."
StatePride, launched with Keenum's campus investiture ceremonies in 2009, has raised over $42 million toward its $100 million goal. MSU is in the second year of the four-year effort as it secures private gifts for need-based scholarships for deserving students and academic scholarships to compete for the best and brightest students. StatePride also creates opportunities for top performing faculty to increase their scholarly activities.
Financial support of faculty awards and scholarships comes from StatePride gifts and pledges, along with matching funds provided by MSU Athletics. Gifts from separate private donors, coupled with an athletic match, make up an individual's $2,500 faculty award. The university anticipates faculty award selection for exceptional performance again in 2011.
The StatePride Faculty Award Program will distribute financial awards over the university's eight academic colleges. Faculty members of MSU-Meridian were eligible to apply through their home college on the Starkville campus. The awards were apportioned on the basis of a college's number of faculty and that unit's ability to raise contributions to secure matching funds from MSU athletics. In addition to the 400 college-based awards, the MSU Library selected six StatePride recipients.
"A number of loyal alumni and friends were willing to contribute for faculty awards because they realize the importance of granting quality instruction to our students and want to commemorate the work ethic and achievements of outstanding teachers and researchers," Keenum said. "Many of these same donors also generously contributed to student scholarships through StatePride."
Mississippi State will continue to place an emphasis on StatePride priorities through calendar year 2012.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.